Loved and loathed, Park takes South Korea's presidency

Winner of South Korea's presidential election Park Geun-hye waves to her supporters in front of the headquarters of the ruling Saenuri party in Seoul December 19, 2012. REUTERS/Cho Jong-Won/Newsis

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's first woman president, Park Geun-hye, will have her job cut out when she takes office in February with the economy slowing, her father's autocratic rule still an issue for many and North Korea as unpredictable as ever.

Park, 60, won Wednesday's hotly contested election comfortably. She replaces fellow conservative Lee Myung-bak after his mandatory single, five-year term ended.